Episode Summary

In the second and final part of this compelling mini-series, we see that the pressure is mounting on all the key players in the unfolding drama. Boris Osman knows that he is aqbsolutely correct in his assertion that the locomotive itself as well as the appalling condition of the railway tracks in New South Wales are what contributed to the de-railing of the train on that fateful day. He is determined to prove that the Granville disaster was not "just an unfortunate accident" but was, in fact, something which could have been entirely prevented if the trains, the tracks and the correct speed had all been maintained. Coroner Tom Weir also knows that if his decision goes against the railways and the government that his career will be over. As others urge him to find a more "realistic" cause for the tragedy of Granville, he, along with Boris Osman, is determined that the real culprits will be named, no matter what the cost. The victims, their families and the rescuers deserve that much and justice WILL be delivered in his courtroom.moreless

There is pressure from all sides on both Boris Osman and Tom Weir to find anything other than the train, the tracks and the railways to be at fault in the Granville crash.moreless

Engineer Boris Osman has many conflicting emotions about the tragedy that was Granville but one thing is for certain, he is absolutely sure that the train itself, along with other contributing factors, is the reason that the crash happened in the first place and after examing the locomotive and the tracks, he is more convinced than ever. He is fully prepared to appear before the Coroner's Court and state categorically that the train, and, therefore, the railways, along with excessive speed and human error caused the events of 18th January, 1977.For Tom Weir, the pressure is even greater, he is a Public Servant and he knows full well that the government and the railways want a verdict which exonerates the train and them but Weir is an honorable man and will not do that. Both he and Boris Osman feel that they owe it to all those who died, to their families, to the survivors, the rescue teams and the Australian public to tell the truth, regardless of the cost to them personally.A brilliant concluding episode to a wonderful mini-series.moreless

Garry Raymond

Recurring Role

Margaret Schuttler

Recurring Role

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (9)

The findings of the state government enquiry which found the condition of the railway tracks to be responsible for the crash were different from those found by Coroner Tom Weir. Coroner Weir found that poor track maintenance, the speed of the engine and, most significantly, the wear of the wheels on the locomotive to be the cause.

It is mentioned in Part 2 by two of the actors talking in the months after the crash that Nurse Margaret Warby won a bravery medal from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for her heroic actions at Granville where she personally saved 12 lives which would otherwise have been lost. Nurse Warby refused to leave the wreckage or the patients even after being ordered to do so. The actual name of the award was 'The Queen's Gallantry Medal'.

Three days after the crash a full investigation was ordered into the cause of the de-railment. 75 witnesses were called to give evidence. The findings of the investigation were that firstly, the condition of the railway tracks themselves were highly unsatisfactory due to poor track maintenance. Secondly, the collapse of the Bold Street bridge onto the train was alsoto blame as it was left standing on only one set of trestles, which was not enough to hold its considerable weight, hence its breaking and collapsing onto the carriages underneath. The report was presented to State Parliament on 11th May, 1977.

In the months following the crash at Granville, the State Rail Authority donated land to the Granville Council for a special memorial site and park to be dedicated to the 83 victims who lost their lives.

The site, located at 56 Railway Parade, Granville, New South Wales, is close to where the train de-railed and has beautiful parklands as well as seating and other amenities.The main focal point at the site is a large marble slate which lists the names of all those who died, along with the words 'Australia Remembers Granville - The Day Of The Roses'. The marble has two large white angels on either side of it and is kept in perfect repair by the council and the Granville Memorial Trust.

Coroner Tom Weir assisted producers of the show with accuracy etc. but did not want his involvement made public as he had been sacked as Coroner some time after the Granville Inquest when his findings were not what the railways or the government wanted to hear. He approached the producers himself and offered to give insight. He was terminally ill at the time but wrote a letter confirming his initial conversation with the producers and detailing the events.

The lengthy letter stated that he had been 'leaned on' by the Chief Superintendary Magistrate, Murray Farquhuar and others in authority to finish his investigation as soon as possible. This 'leaning' is portrayed in the series on several occasions. Unfortunately, Coroner Weir passed away before he was able to see the finished product. The hand-written letter is still in the hands of the producers of 'Day Of The Roses'.

It is noted on the DVD of the series that Murray Farquhar, who leaned so heavily on Coroner Weir to 'hurry up' and finish his investigation during the Granville Inquest himself ended up sentenced to four years jail for corruption and for trying to pervert the course of justice in a matter totally unrelated to the Granville crash. It was believed by many that Tom Weir was being absolutely truthful when he said he was leaned on and bullied by Farquar and his subsequent imprisonment after behaving in a similar way confirmed it for many.

Mrs. Wendy Ward was not a passenger on the Granville train that day but she lost both of her young daughters, Helen, aged 11 and Rosie, aged 9. She also lost her father, Vic, aged 67 and her step-mother, Madge, aged 61. The two children were travelling with their grandparents on an outing at the time of the crash.

Mrs. Ward received only one thousand dollars compensation for each of her children and five hundred dollars each for the loss of her father and step-mother. The children were referred to regularly throughout the series. Mrs. Ward recieved the compensation only after the Coroner, Tom Weir, had found that the train and the railways were at fault for the accident.

The final thing we see before the final credits roll is the same as the opening sequence for Part 1 - the dropping of 83 red roses onto the track. In this second part, however, the camera zooms up and we can see the people who are dropping the roses. These are the real family, friends, survivors and rescuers who attend the annual gathering. As each face is shown, their name and what they are doing now is highlighted in text underneath. They agreed to be filmed at the annual ceremony because they were impressed with the accuracy of the production and how sensitively the producers and directors had handled the material.

When the Granville train crashes into the Bold Street Bridge and, later, the support structure gives way and several cars which were on the bridge at the time come falling down onto the train and the tracks, they are finally removed after all the dead and the survivors had been taken from the railway carriages. Just near the end of the film, when the cars have all been cleared away from the wreckage using a large crane, we see a character jump down from the bridge and onto the tracks and all the cars, which had finally been removed just moments before, are back in position behind the character when there should have been no sign of them.

At the 1999 Logie Awards, 'The Day Of The Roses' won the award for "Most Outstanding Telemovie or Mini-Series."

At the same Logie ceremony, Rebecca Gibney was nominated for the Silver Logie for her role as Nurse Margaret Warby, along with roles she had played in another production (Halifax, F.P) but she did not win the award.

At the 1999 Australian Guild Of Screen Composers Awards, John Mason won two awards for his work on 'Day Of The Roses'. He won "Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie" and also "Best Original Title Theme for a Series, Serial or Mini-Series".

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